Shloka 7

Strī Parva, Adhyāya 2 — Vidura’s Consolation on Kāla, Karma, and the Limits of Lamentation (विदुरोपदेशः)

Devanagari script

न शोचन्‌ मृतमन्वेति न शोचन्‌ प्रियते नर: । एवं सांसिद्धिके लोके किमर्थमनुशोचसि,शोक करनेवाला मनुष्य न तो मरनेवालेके साथ जा सकता है और न मर ही सकता है। जब लोककी ऐसी ही स्वाभाविक स्थिति है, तब आप किसलिये शोक कर रहे हैं?

Transliteration

na śocan mṛtam anveti na śocan priyate naraḥ | evaṃ sāṃsiddhike loke kim artham anuśocasi ||

Translation

Vidura says: A man who grieves does not follow the dead, nor does he himself die by grieving. Since this is the natural order of the world as it stands, why do you continue to lament?

Word by Word

नnot

शोचन्grieving (one who grieves)

मृतम्the dead (person)

अन्वेतिfollows

नnot

शोचन्grieving (one who grieves)

प्रियतेdeparts/goes away (passes on)

नरःa man

एवम्thus, in this way

सांसिद्धिकेin the natural/inevitable (order/state)

लोकेin the world

किम्what

अर्थम्purpose, reason

अनुशोचसिdo you grieve (after/over)

Speaker

विदुर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vidura

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Grief does not change the fact of death: lamentation neither reunites one with the departed nor ends one’s own life. Therefore one should restrain excessive sorrow and face reality with steadiness.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Strī Parva, amid the aftermath of the Kurukṣetra slaughter, Vidura offers counsel meant to calm and instruct those overwhelmed by bereavement, urging them to move from lamentation toward composure and dharmic reflection.